


i put a spell on you

by artificialpeach



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, Lesbian AU, Past Sexual Assault, Witchcraft, but not like magic spells witches, cis girl au, it's a house full of lesbian witches, real witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-01-25 16:08:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12535768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artificialpeach/pseuds/artificialpeach
Summary: Trixie is a young secular witch living in an apartment with 4 other witches - a group Katya used to be a part of before she unexpectedly had to return to Russia. Now Katya is coming back to the US to move back in with the girls.It doesn't take long for Trixie and Katya to get to know eachother at all.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> this is a fic i posted a looooong time ago on artificalqueens on tumblr, but i never got around to finishing it. hopefully now that i've decided to share it on here it' ll get enough love to inspire me to keep it going, but for now here's just a little intro for the body of the story to make more sense in context. let me know if you enjoy!!

Some witches are born with a storm in their hearts and lightning coursing through their veins, charging their every action and spoken word so that it leaves the feeling of sparks flying in the air around them, and in the hearts of whomever they encounter. Violet Chachki was one of these witches; full of a fiery passion that fuelled her magic and a sharp tongue that could strike like lightning.

Some witches exude calm energy that seeps into the souls of others and leaves them peaceful. They have voices as smooth as the trickle of a stream and softer than a light summer breeze, yet their smiles dazzle like sunlight. Pearl Liaison was a witch like this; soothing and slow and undeniably pleasant, giving her spells a sweet edge – if she wasn't lazy enough to leave them unfinished, that is.

There are some witches with magic permeating their very spirits with the power to connect with the spirits of others – living or dead. Their façade is impenetrable to those not incredibly familiar, yet once they bare their souls to you, they can't stop; they're so full of passion that it spills out of them in any way it can: spells, emotions, their spirits travelling to another plane. This was Miss Fame – a woman so shrouded in mystery that nobody even knew her real first name, not even the girls she had come to call family. And yet, she loved them so endlessly, and it showed in her magic.

Every once in a while, you might meet a witch with a young face and an old soul. They've grown wise ahead of their time and share their growth with others; plants, people, you name it. They always have dirt under their fingernails and patient knowledge inside their skulls just waiting to spill out. Max was wise beyond her years, so she decided to dye her hair grey to match. She applied her wisdom to her magic in the only way she knew: by growing. Her garden was the the most beautiful sight on the West Coast and had enough life and magic in every petal and leaf to revive any weary soul, and her own supportive words had enough love woven into them that you could swear that she put a spell on you every time you were down. In fact, she probably did.

And then there are the witches who might as well be fairies; every breath they take, they practically exhale glitter and pixie dust. They seek answers beyond conscious human knowledge and share it with anyone and everyone they can. They're a generous blessing.

Trixie Mattel was a generous blessing. Despite having only lived with her coven for a little over a year, she had found a home with them, and her witchcraft was stronger than ever because of it.

As she traced a sigil with her wooden spoon into the pan of pasta sauce she was cooking- one for protection that she designed earlier – droplets of rain started to bounce off the kitchen window all at once. Within a few minutes, it was a full-blown storm. Trixie smiled to herself softly and enjoyed her surroundings: the smell of the pasta, the blissful sound of the rain hitting the windows, and the sight of Max trimming the stems of her coriander plant that lived on the windowsill. The look of sheer focus on her face was uncanny, and caused Trixie to giggle under her breath.

“I can hear you sniggering over there, missy,” Max began in a mockingly stern voice, “I had no idea that pasta sauce could be so good at telling jokes.”

“Very funny,” the blonde girl replied. She dipped her finger in the sauce tasted it, then wiped off the remains on her hot pink apron. “You trying to give that plant a hundred-dollar haircut or something?”

“I merely take pride in maintaining my plants. I rely on them for my magic you know. In fact, so do you.”

Trixie was a kitchen witch, and often used herbs from Max's garden in her meals for the coven.

“Hey, while you're at it could I steal some of your basil for this sauce? I thought I'd work protection into dinner tonight and basil is good for that,” Trixie asked. “It's also super tasty in pasta, so it's a win-win.”

“Sure,” Max replied with a smile. She reached over to the other side of the windowsill to cut some leaves from her basil plant, but was shocked by a sudden slam of the front door, causing her to cut off a whole stem. “Oh, for goodness' sake...” she sighed. Trixie never understood how the girl always managed to refrain from swearing, even when her beloved basil had been beheaded.

“I'm guessing that was Violet and Pearl,” Trixie mused, accepting the cutting of basil with an apologetic smile, and dropping it into the sauce.

“Yes, gone out to collect rainwater from this storm, no doubt. It's a powerful one.”

“Well I hope they haven't gone all the way out to the coast, dinner's almost ready.”

“I'm sure they won't be long, dear,” Max reassured her.

“Hey, where's Fame anyway? Can you feel her or did she go with those two?”

Max simply stood for a second and searched her emotions; her empathy helped her tell if there were others nearby, and so was useful when it came to figuring out where Fame had disappeared to when she hide in her attempts to astral project in peace. The grey-haired witch had become so attuned with the other girls' emotions that she could tell who was feeling what, and even where from.

“No, she's in your room. I'll go get her,” Max said as she vanished upstairs. They returned moments later, with Fame grinning from ear to ear.

“Hey, what's tickled you? You look like you're on cloud nine, did a spirit offer to eat you out or something?” Trixie laughed to herself.

“No, you freak,” Fame laughed in response, “This is something way cooler, and not gross either. I heard Katya again, Max, she's going to call us later.”

Trixie furrowed her brows in confusion. “Who's Katya?”

 

* * *

 

The girls were all sat in a circle on their living room carpet, finishing the last of their bowls of pasta. It had now become dark outside, with the last of the sunset the only light they had besides the few lit candles scattered around the room. Violet and Pearl were snuggled together to keep warm with towels draped over them in an attempt to dry the remains of the storm they absorbed into their clothes; there was probably more in their hair than in the jars of rainwater they filled.

“Well,” Violet began, “Katya was a part of our coven before you joined us, Trixie. In fact, she only left to go back to Russia about a month or two before we found you. She moved to the US to go to college, and she ended up living with us because she was already a friend of Fame's.”

“We met in an online support group and became super close from there,” Fame added.

“Anyway,” Violet continued, “we all lived together for three years, but once she finished college her visa ran out so she had to go back to Russia. She still stays in contact with us by phoning every now and again. Either that or Fame talks to her in the astral plane for us.”

Trixie took a moment to take in all of this new information. “Wait, hold on a second...how come you never told me about her? And how the hell did you manage to keep in touch with her without me knowing about it?”

“Hey it's nothing personal, it's just never came up in conversation is all,” Pearl drawled as she lay herself down onto the carpet.

“Yeah, and she tends to call us in the evenings when you're listening to music in your room or helping Max in the garden,” Fame uttered.

“Have you guys ever mentioned me to her?” Trixie asked, suddenly feeling excluded from her family of witches.

“Yes, actually,” Max interjected. “She asks about you every once in a while but we never told you about her because we know you're not too comfortable with new people. Remember how long it took for you to be comfortable with us when we came to help you from-”

“Yeah, thanks Max but I'd rather not relive that for now. I'm going to wash the dishes.”

With that, Trixie arose from the circle and carried everyone's empty bowls to the kitchen. She heard Fame quickly change the topic of conversation as she left the room. Meanwhile, as she slowly cleaned the bowls and the rest of the dishes from the day, she imagined what Katya might be like. Surely she must've been a witch if she became a part of the coven like Violet said. And didn't Fame mention a support group? Trixie knew Fame had issues with addiction before she came to live with the coven, so did Katya have the same struggle? Was she a stoner hippie kind of witch, or a hardcore 'punk' girl that did lines in club bathrooms as a teen? And was she homophobic? Trixie had no idea what her views on this sort of stuff were because she'd never met the girl and likely never would, but since Katya was Russian she couldn't help but be scared that she would hate her for being a lesbian since she appeared to be so close with her friends.

Trixie was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't even hear the phone start to ring. It wasn't until she heard Fame begin to shriek that she snapped out of it.

“What?! You're serious?...Really?! When? OH MY GOD!! TRIXIEEE!”

“I'm coming, jeez,” she muttered under her breath. _What the fuck could have gotten Fame this excited?_

“Trixie, you won't believe this! Katya is coming back to America to stay with us!!” Fame practically yelled.

“Wait, what? You're serious?” Trixie encouraged, looking at each of the girls' faces as they nodded eagerly. Violet grabbed her shoulders and squeezed, hopping from foot to foot.

“She said she could be here by the end of the week, this is incredible!” she shrieked, “We never thought we'd get to see her again!”

“Wow! I'm uh, happy for you guys! This is pretty big,” Trixie smiled to Violet and the other three girls, who all seemed to be over the moon.

_This could change everything._

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trixie looked up from stirring the stew upon hearing Katya shout her name, and started when she saw the girl almost launch herself towards her. Katya had the widest, most dazzling smile Trixie had seen, possibly ever – how could someone's teeth be that perfect? - and her blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders and stuck out at random places because of the sheer density of her wild curls – just like her personality it seems, Trixie thought.
> 
> “Uh, nice to meet you Katya,” she uttered in response, accepting the hand that the Russian had offered with a timid smile.

The rest of the week passed by in a blur of travel protection spells being cast in abundance for Katya (just in case) and the five girls frantically cleaning the house so that their new arrival wouldn't think they had completely lost it in her time away (Pearl wasn't too pleased when Violet told her to dismantle her tower of dirty laundry. Trixie, on the other hand was delighted to be reunited with three socks and a t-shirt that she thought would never see again). There was also the issue of where Katya would stay; they had never had six people living in the house at once. Pearl and Violet had always had the double room, and Max had the single room to herself. That left Fame and Trixie with the twin room in the attic. Although Trixie had claimed Katya's old bed when she moved in, Fame insisted on giving up her own bed and sleeping on the couch so that Katya wouldn't have to.

Now, on the one hand, Trixie admired Fame for her selfless generosity – she always put the other girls before herself. However, the fact that she had to share a room with a complete stranger left Trixie rather uneasy; she wasn't ready for such a sudden invasion of her personal space by someone she didn't know, and Max was right the other day: it took her months to be able to trust the other four girls when she first became a part of the coven because of how she had been treated in her family home.

It was now Saturday evening, and Katya's plane was due to land any time soon. Trixie had tried to stay out of the way whilst the rest of the girls made last minute adjustments to the house in a panic before they took a cab to the airport to collect the Russian girl. Once they set off, Trixie was left with the house to herself.

When living in a small, three-bedroomed house with four other girls, complete privacy like this was almost impossible to come by, so Trixie took it as a blessing by beginning to cook dinner whilst blasting her favourite music. She decided that tonight's delicacy would be a simple beef stew, and she would have a personal Blondie concert in the comfort of her own kitchen through the magic of technology. Whilst she waited for the beef to cook through, she danced around the kitchen as though she was 15 again and sang loud enough to be heard a block away.

_Colour me your colour, baby_

_Colour me your car_

_Colour me your colour, darling_

_I know who you are_

She plucked her hot pink apron from the hook on the back of the kitchen door where it lived alongside Max's grey gardening overalls and tied it around her waist to prevent her cooking from splashing onto her white, just-above-the-knee skirt. Paired with the oversized, pastel pink t-shirt tucked into it, it made Trixie look like a walking raspberry snowcone, and she honestly wouldn't have wanted it any other way. In high school, she always felt the need to conform to the styles of the few friends she had in an attempt to prevent from losing them or being judged any more than she already was; being a slightly chubby lesbian didn't exactly make her popular. It wasn't until she graduated and moved away from her childhood home to join her coven that she could truly allow her self-expression to flourish without any fear of being bullied.

As she began to stir in the stock for the stew, Trixie belted out her favourite verse of the song:

_Cover me with kisses, baby_

_Cover me with love_

_Roll me in designer sheets_

_I'll never get enough_

_Emotions come, I don't know why_

_Cover up love's alibi_

After another hour and a half of cooking the stew, infusing it with intention and energy, and singing her heart out, Trixie heard a set of keys rattling in the front door. Straight away, she paused the current song and listened to Fame's hundred-mile-a-minute ramblings from the hallway as the five girls excitedly piled into the house.

“Okay, so Pearl and Violet can carry your bags up into the attic so you don't have to haul them up the ladder – you're taking my bed for the time being, no two words about it, I don't want you sleeping on the couch. I'll get Max to find Trixie and introduce you while I get you something to drink -”

“Fame, relax,” a deeper, accented voice cut into the girl's psuedo-monologue, rolling the 'r' of the last word. “I am sure I remember where the refrigerator is. By the sound of it, you haven't stopped talking since the day I left,” the Russian girl cackled, earning a laugh from the other witches, including Trixie. Fame was a sweet girl, but she just did not know when to stop talking.

With the declaration of her arrival, Katya made her way into the lounge and took in her surroundings.

“Ah, it is so good to be back.” She turned to walk into the kitchen, but stopped in her tracks the moment she laid eyes on the girl in pink stood at the oven. “You must be Trixie!” Katya cried as she lunged towards the girl with an outstretched hand, “My name is Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova, but you can call me Katya – everybody else does.”

Trixie looked up from stirring the stew upon hearing Katya shout her name, and started when she saw the girl almost launch herself towards her. Katya had the widest, most dazzling smile Trixie had seen, possibly ever – how could someone's teeth be that perfect? - and her blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders and stuck out at random places because of the sheer density of her wild curls – seemingly reflective of her large personality, Trixie noted.

“Uh, nice to meet you Katya,” she uttered in response, accepting the hand that the Russian had offered with a timid smile.

“I have heard so much about you, Trixie. I cannot wait to get to know you more,” she beamed, now clasping the handshake with her other hand over Trixie's.

 

* * *

 

The girls were once again in their usual dining formation: sat in a circle on the living room carpet surrounded by flickering candles. This time, however, there was an extra body sat in between Violet and Fame, happily slurping away at the broth of the stew on her spoon.

“Mmm, Trixie, this is delicious. It is just like the Zharkoye my Мама makes,” Katya praised. She met Trixie's eyes from across the circle and gave her toothy smile that Trixie returned, blushing slightly. “Thank you.”

Katya had finished unpacking her things with the help of Fame, and had taken no time at all to settle back in. She was now spending the remainder of the evening reminiscing with her friends about the three years they spent together, and she shared stories about her time away in Russia.

“When I got the bus from the airport to my home when I first got back we had to stop because there was a bear trying to get on board.”

“Last month, I was out when the mailman came with a package that wouldn't go through the letterbox, so he smashed the window in the door to put it through.”

“One time when I was on a train a lady sat next to me had a bag of m&ms-”

“What's so weird about that?” Pearl interrupted.

Katya looked at her with a smirk, “It was filled with bullets.”

They all laughed out loud, Katya's screaming cackle breaking through as the loudest, which just made everyone laugh even more.

“There's absolutely no way any of that happened,” Trixie struggled between outbursts of giggles.

“Trust me, you see a lot of odd things in Mother Russia, honey,” Katya replied, waggling her eyebrows, which only elicited more laughter from the girls.

“God, I need to leave you freaks before I piss myself by laughing so much,” Trixie declared as she stood up, “I'm gonna go get dressed for bed, I'll be back in a sec.”

 

The blonde girl ascended the stairs and ladder to her bedroom feeling utterly elated; it had been a while since she had been able to have such a laugh with the coven, and yet Katya's arrival had made them all ecstatic, including – unexpectedly – Trixie. She had anticipated feeling anxious about meeting the Russian, expecting her to be more uptight and withdrawn because of her origins, and yet Trixie didn't think she had ever met anyone more outgoing and weird; she admired the girl for how she was herself so unapologetically, and she hadn't a mean or judgemental bone in her body as far as Trixie had observed – despite only having known her for a few hours – which is what she had feared the most.

Trixie climbed into her pyjamas and removed her makeup with haste, eager to return to the lively conversation downstairs. She hung her white skirt back into her wardrobe (who has time for laundry in this day and age? If it smells clean, it's clean) and turned around to climb the ladder back downstairs. Or, she would have done, if there was not a small Russian lady stood in her way.

“Jesus, Katya, you scared the shit out of me. Do you have a thing for scaring people? You got me twice in one day,” Trixie said, startled by Katya's sudden presence.

“Sorry,” Katya merely replied, smirking, “I thought you heard me come up.” She laughed again lightly.

“It's alright. I guess they taught you to be a ninja too back in Russia, eh?” Trixie earned another laugh from Katya. “Anyways, I'm gonna head back downstairs now, you coming?”

“Actually, I am going to put on my pyjamas too. Will you wait for me please?” Katya asked, and Trixie simply nodded in response. She sat down on her bed as Katya removed her own makeup, and made herself look to the ground whilst she undressed. _I barely even know her, there's no way I'm gonna stare at her naked body and make it weird._

“Okay, I am finished. Shall we join the others?” Katya's accented voice sweeped through the silence.

“Sure, let's go.” Trixie stood up, looking at Katya again for the first time and noticing what she was wearing. Or rather, what she wasn't wearing; she had nothing on besides a red t-shirt and a pair of black panties, showing off the entirety of her bare legs. Trixie had to practically pry her eyes away from her toned, athletic form as Katya bent down to pick her dirty clothes from the floor without even bending her legs. _Damn, she seems flexible, too._

“Wait, Trixie, come here _mishka,_ ” Katya beckoned. “You have mascara on your cheek. May I?”

When Trixie showed no sign of protest, Katya reached out her hand and wiped the leftover makeup from Trixie's face using her thumb. She had to stand on the top of her tiptoes because she was so tiny compared to the other girl. Trixie smiled in thanks, still holding eye contact with the other girl. “Come on, let's go downstairs. I bet they're wondering what's taking us so long.”

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katya was laying with her head propped up on the armrest on the other sofa and her body curled up on one of the the seating cushions. She looked down her body to see Trixie in the exact same position, their legs meeting and tangling in the middle due to the lack of space.

It was 8am the next morning and Katya was the first to awaken. After an endless night of telling stories and jokes, and dancing around the living room until the early hours of the morning, the girls had decided to sleep in the lounge instead of going their separate ways to their own beds. For one, it was much more fun – they got to have an impromptu sleepover that made them feel sixteen again (you wouldn't think they were all twenty-something year old women with jobs to go to and taxes to pay). Plus, nobody in their right mind had the time and energy to drag themselves to bed that late – Katya especially didn't after waking at 3am for her flight the previous day, and her and Trixie certainly didn't fancy lugging themselves up a flight of stairs _and_ a ladder to reach their beds.

Katya opened her eyes and rubbed them, yawning as she gradually pulled herself from slumber. She glanced around the room at the mess that had been created from the night before; empty mugs with dried coffee stains inside them lay strewn across the coffee table that had been pushed to the edge of the room to make more space to sleep.

Max was curled up in a ball at one end of a sofa with Fame resting her head in the crook of the grey haired girl's knees. Violet and Pearl were spooning in the middle of the carpet with cushions and decorative blankets that were once on the chairs scattered over and around them to keep them comfortable on the harder surface of the floor.

Katya was laying with her head propped up on the armrest on the other sofa and her body curled up on one of the the seating cushions. She looked down her body to see Trixie in the exact same position, their legs meeting and tangling in the middle due to the lack of space. Katya stretched as far as she could without disturbing the girl sleeping at her feet and slowly sat up with a groan, rubbing her aching neck from the unnatural angle she had slept at.

The Russian walked around the two girls sleeping on the floor to the coffee table and picked up all six mugs at once by their handles, wincing when they clashed together loudly. She looked around at the sleeping forms of the other five girls to make sure she hadn't woken any of them. Trixie shifted slightly, scrunching her nose softly as she let out a deep breath, but remained asleep despite the sudden sound. _She's cute_ , Katya thought with a gentle smile to herself and walked to the kitchen.

As she cleaned the dishes, she fondly relived the night before. She had been longing to return to her second family since the second she had to leave, and finally being here again after so long felt surreal; Katya had been simply overrun with joy and love for the girls since she walked through the front door.

She had also been excited to meet the newest addition to their coven – Trixie. Having only heard descriptions of her until yesterday, she hadn't been entirely sure what to expect when coming face-to-face with her for the first time. The first thing Fame had told her about Trixie all those months ago was that she was a kitchen witch with an interest in divination, which lead Katya to envisage her as an older and wiser woman, sort of like the mother of the group. When she learned that Trixie was in fact the youngest of them all at nearly 20 years old, Katya was surprised yet comforted.

The more Fame, Max, Violet and Pearl gushed about Trixie whenever they talked over facetime or the phone, the more she wanted to meet and get to know her for herself. When Katya had arrived and made herself at home again, she was worried that Trixie had been put off by how forward Katya was already being, yet once they had all settled down and shared dinner, Trixie relaxed and opened up too.

Fame had warned Katya previously about Trixie being reluctant to trust new people – although she wouldn't mention why – but thankfully Katya had appeared to overcome that barrier. As someone who had worked a lot on calming her own energies over the years with yoga and crystals and whatever else she could find, it brought a wave of happiness over her to know that she could share it with others now, too.

Once she had finished washing the last dish in the sink, she dried her hands on a hand towel and turned around to face the entrance to the kitchen when she heard footsteps approaching.

Trixie walked into the kitchen, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and smiled upon seeing Katya standing there, still only in her t-shirt and panties. “Morning earlybird. What are you doing up already? Usually I'm the first awake,” Trixie yawned as she filled the pot of the coffee machine and switched it on.

“Ah, I am always out of bed early, too. Before, it used to just be myself and Max awake for a few hours, so she would tend her garden and I would do my yoga in the lounge,” Katya recalled.

“Aw, that sounds nice. It's pretty much the same now too, except for the yoga part – Max still goes straight to her greenhouse as soon as she's out of bed, and I just sit and watch TV or do a couple of tarot spreads before I go to work,” Trixie explained, leaning against the counter as she spoke, “Coffee?”

“Oh yes please, _mishka_. Where do you work?”

“At the little sandwich shop on the corner of the block, I have done since I graduated high school. It's nice that it's so close since I don't drive. I get the weekends off though, so you get to spend a whole day with me today. Lucky you,” Trixie said sarcastically.

The two girls stayed in the kitchen for another half an hour, perched atop the kitchen countertops as they sipped their coffees and got to know little things about one another. Trixie learned that Katya spoke not only English (and obviously Russian) but she knew French, Spanish, and even some Japanese. Katya learned that Trixie was a keen tap dancer.

The only interruption they had was from Max when she wished them both a good morning as she passed through the kitchen to enter the back yard and water her plants. Besides that, it was just Katya and Trixie chatting away and enjoying their little domestic moment. Bigger hangouts with the whole coven were fun, but the two new friends were relishing in the more relaxed opportunity to get to know eachother.

“I'm gonna make some pancakes, you want any?” Trixie asked as she hopped down from the counter having finished her coffee.

“That would be lovely,” Katya replied. “I will help you if you like.”

“Thanks,” Trixie smiled.

They stood side-by-side at the stove, continuing to chatter whilst they made their breakfast.

“You know, Fame told me that you are a saving grace, Trixie Mattel,” Katya said with a smirk, “I was the family chef before I left, and she says that they were living on microwave meals for two months until you came.”

“Oh God, tell me about it. I'm pretty sure none of them even know how to use a stove,” Trixie said, rolling her eyes but laughing. “It's a good thing I actually love to cook.”

“Why don't you become a chef? Someone world renowned. Like Guy Fieri,” Katya laughed. “I could teach you a few tricks you know.” She bumped hips with Trixie and clung onto her arm as she wheezed out a laugh.

Trixie joined in laughing as she flipped her hair and pursed her lips, “Nah, I'm more of a Barefoot Contessa wannabe.”

“Well, you are not wearing any shoes so you are already halfway there.”

They both dissolved into howls of laughter as they finished cooking the rest of the pancakes, and sat on the kitchen floor side by side eating them from the same plate whilst leaning against the cupboards.

“In all seriousness though, it is a dream of mine to own my own café. Like one of those cute vintage kinda shops with chalkboard menus and pink milkshakes, and a bell at the door.” Trixie said between chewing mouthfuls. “What about you, what are your goals in life?”

“I always wanted to be an artist,” Katya replied thoughtfully. “It is what I came to America for; I studied fine art at university. It has been difficult for me to make money off of my work in Russia though, but now that I am back in America maybe I will find people who want to buy my trash paintings,” she finished with a laugh.

Trixie looked at her fondly, “That's so cool! You'll have to show me some of your work one day, I'd love to see it. I'm sure it'll work out better for you over here. I'll charm all your pencils and paintbrushes with good luck, just to make sure,” she said and playfully nudged Katya with her elbow.

“Then I shall do the same for you whenever you go to work. Although I would not recommend combining our branches of magic. Malachite stones are not very good for your digestive tract, or so I hear,” Katya laughed.

“Oh, you work with crystals? That's cool!”

“Just wait until you see my collection, they will be all over the house before long. Last time, Violet shouted at me because she kept finding them in her pantyhose and shoes.”

“Oh my god,” Trixie muttered, chuckling breathily.

Katya was amazed by how often Trixie laughed at her jokes; the other four girls tended to just give her odd looks and laugh at how weird she was, albeit lovingly. The fact that she may have found someone who actually understood her sense of humour filled her with warmth.

As if right on cue, Violet entered the kitchen and glared at the two girls sat on the floor. “What the hell are you guys doing? You woke us up screaming, or laughing, or whatever that demonic screeching was.”

“Yeah, it sounded like you were taking a shit the size of a chicken,” Pearl chimed in from behind Violet.

“What's this about chickens?” Fame asked as she peered her head through the door.

“Oh great, the whole gang's here,” Trixie hollered sarcastically, standing up and holding out a hand to help Katya to her feet.

“Looks like we're interrupting a little breakfast date,” Violet taunted jokingly with a smirk, looking down at their still-joined hands. The two girls followed her gaze and recoiled.

“Relax, we're not gonna, like, curse you for holding hands,” Pearl reassured.

“Hey, why not?” Violet turned to Pearl, “Trixie does to us all of the time!”

“No, I curse you when you're having sex really loudly. So, like, every other night.”

“Ooooooh, burrrrrn!” Katya exclaimed, rolling her r as obnoxiously as possible and high-fiving Trixie.

 

* * *

 

Trixie had retreated from the kitchen and was in her and Katya's room getting ready from the day; she had got out of the shower and dried herself off, and was now putting the finishing touches to her bold, pink makeup. She saw Katya ascending the ladder to join her in the reflection of the mirror on the wall, so she couldn't sneak up on her this time.

“Hey, Katya, I'm heading out to the supermarket once I'm ready, you wanna come with? Usually Max comes with me but she's still in her greenhouse trying to salvage her plants. They're not gonna last much longer now that winter's on its way so I wanna get some dried herbs and stuff while I restock.”

“Sure, I shall get ready as well,” the Russian replied.

“I'll be leaving in about 10 minutes so you better be set to go by then, or else,” Trixie mock-threatened as she looked into Katya's eyes through the mirror.

Katya straightened her back and gave an over-exaggerated salute, “Yes, ma'am.”

 

* * *

 

 _The girls wanna play with boys and the boys wanna play with girls_  
_And the girls wanna play with girls_  
_Boys wanna play with boys_  
_Oh boy don't you love this world_  
Trixie enthusiastically sang along to the song that blasted from the car radio as Katya drove the two of them to the supermarket. “I love this song.”

“I have never heard it,” Katya replied. “In Russia they never play songs like this. They are very...conservative.”

“I can't imagine it,” Trixie agreed, turning the music down so that they could speak more easily. “To be honest, before you came here I was scared that you'd be, like, a total homophobe because you're Russian. It's really cool that you've managed to stay such a good ally considering how long you've lived there.”

Katya chuckled and looked over at Trixie, who only crossed her eyebrows, “What?”

“I am not an 'ally', _mishka_. I'm surprised that the girls never warned you.”

“...So, you _are_ a total homophobe?” Trixie asked cautiously, putting her guard up.

Katya chuckled again and replyed fondly, chancing a glance away from the road to look across at Trixie. “I am bisexual, you idiot. Stop worrying your gay ass much.”

“Oh!...Wait, how did you know-”

“Violet told me a while back,” Katya interrupted, pulling the car into a space once they arrived at the shop. She looked over at Trixie after she pulled up the handbrake, “What?”

“Uh, nothing. It's just cool. Knowing another girl who likes girls, I mean. Well, besides Violet and Pearl, but-”

“You're babbling, honey,” Katya smiled, patting Trixie's arm, “Come on. Help me find a shopping cart.”

The next hour and a half consisted of Trixie trying to do a regular Sunday’s shopping, and being constantly interrupted by Katya dragging her down each aisle whenever she wanted to show her something.

Trixie looked at the shelf of herbs and picked up jars of dried rosemary, basil, and coriander. Katya found a tube of glitter at the other end of the aisle and added that to the cart as well.

“Katya, when are you ever going to use that much glitter?”

“Shh. Secret project. You see.” Katya stood on the bar at the front of the cart and held onto the basket portion of it. She leaned forward and looked at the other girl. “Push?”

“I've made friends with an actual five year old,” Trixie joked.

“Pleeeease, _mishka_. There is nobody else on this aisle,” the Russian begged. “You can go next.”

Trixie rolled her eyes and smirked, grabbing onto the handle of the cart and pushing both it and Katya with a run to the other end of the aisle. The two women laughed and Trixie hoisted her own weight onto the handlebar and lifted her legs into the air, letting it drift them both along.

“Again!” Katya insisted and she hopped down from the cart to stop it so that they didn't hit a shelf, but Trixie shook her head laughing.

“I need to get this shopping done or else we'll be here all day.”

Katya reluctantly agreed with a pout. “Okay.”

Moments later she was bubbling with energy again. “Trixie! Look at this!” she shrieked, grabbing the girl by the hand and dragging her over to a stand of bottle openers.

“What am I looking at?”

Katya picked one up with her free hand. It was white, and was adorned with small, pink love hearts. “It reminded me of you.”

Trixie smiled and rolled her eyes, and took it from Katya's grip to put it in the trolley. “Thanks.”

As Trixie started to push the cart again, Katya ran around to walk next to her, and pulled one of Trixie's hands off the bar.

“Katya, what are you-”

“It looks heavy. I want to help,” she replied, before putting her own hand onto the other side of the bar to help Trixie push the weight of it, their free hands brushing at their sides as they walked.

 

* * *

 

The drive home was more peaceful than the journey there; the sky was beginning to darken as grey clouds set in, and the radio was much quieter. To fill the lack of sound, Katya and Trixie chatted away again about nothing in particular. Their conversations seemed to flow endlessly today, but they were never boring or awkward. It was nice for the both of them to be able to talk to the other with such ease – you'd think they'd have been friends for years.

The conversation began to slow, and as they hit a red light Katya pulled up the handbrake and looked over at Trixie and surveyed her. Trixie turned her gaze from the window to return the gaze, “What?”

“Nothing. You just look very pretty today,” Katya smiled.

Trixie blushed slightly, and opened her mouth to say something nice in return but nothing came out. She settled with a simple “Thank you.”

They stared at one another for a moment longer before they both jumped a mile into the air when the car behind honked their horn to tell them to move now that the stoplight had turned green without them noticing.

By the time they were pulling into the drive, the sky had become an even darker grey than Max's hair. As they were lifting the bags of shopping from the trunk of the car, it began to rain. Katya and Trixie ran inside the house, with Trixie shrieking “my hair!”.

They dumped the bags into the kitchen and heard a rumble of thunder ripple outside, shortly followed by a pounding of footsteps down the stairs more aggressive than the actual thunder.

Pearl and Violet barged into the kitchen and went straight to the cupboard below the sink. They pulled out two old, empty jam jars and looked at eachother excitedly.

“It's forecast to become a full-on storm,” Violet mused to Katya and Trixie, “We're off to the coast to get as much as we can while we can.”

“Oooh, can we all come?” Katya asked, joining in on the excitement that the two witches were exuding. “I miss when all five of us used to collect rainwater, it was so fun.”

“Wait, there's six of us now, there's no way we'd all fit in the car,” Trixie noted. “I'll stay at home and start cooking dinner if you guys all wanna catch up some more?”

“Don't be an ass, Mattel,” Pearl jumped in, “Violet can sit on my lap to make room for us all.”

“What if we drive past a cop car though?”

“Do not worry, _mishka_ , Fame would hear it coming from miles away. You seem to forget we have a clairaudient in the family,” Katya chuckled.

“Well then what are we waiting for?” Violet exclaimed, “Come on, let's grab the others. We're wasting good rainwater here bitches!”

 

* * *

 

“Okay, I underestimated how fuckin' heavy you are.”

“Bitch shut your mouth or I _will_ fart on you.”

All of the girls laughed as Pearl and Violet bantered in back right passenger seat, Violet sat side-on on Pearl's lap with her arms around her shoulders, and her legs straight out and resting on the laps of the other girls in the back. Katya was in the middle of Trixie and Pearl, leaving Max in the front passenger seat while Fame drove the five girls to the coast. The storm was almost in full force so the rain was pummelling against the outside of the car. Trixie smiled contentedly and rested her head against the window to watch the view as it passed by; the coastline was in sight and becoming closer by the minute.

“What are you thinking about, _mishka_?” Katya murmered to her under the noise of the other four girls laughing and chatting away.

“Nothing at all,” the young girl replied, closing her eyes, “It's blissful actually.”

Katya looked at her fondly for a moment longer before copying Trixie, resting her head against the taller girl's shoulder and allowing her eyes to close for the rest of the journey.

Their moment of peace amongst the chaos didn't last long, however; they were all hit with forceful gusts of wind the moment they stepped out of the car at the beach. The rain came down hard on them all, but only one umbrella was found in the trunk of the car. Max and Fame decided to stay indoors in the warmth, so settled in a window seat in the café next to the car park. Violet and Pearl ran off as soon as they leaped out of the car, going down to the seafront with their jars held above their heads with laughter; they certainly wouldn't be needing the umbrella.

“Hey Katya, do you wanna sit inside with Max and Fame? I'm gonna go for a walk along the seafront. You can join me if you want but it's pretty damn cold,” Trixie asked.

“Honey, I have faced worse weather than this in Russia. Besides, I love the rain. There's nothing like having the sky piss on you,” Katya laughed. “Come on.” She set off walking, grabbing Trixie's hand with no hesitation this time to drag her along, and holding the umbrella above the two of them with the other hand. Trixie was surprised for a moment at Katya's forward gesture, but her heart warmed at it the next moment. She already admired how outgoing and – to put it lightly – insane Katya had already presented herself to be. You wouldn't think there was enough room in their apartment for so many enormous personalities.

The pair of them walked like that, hand in hand underneath the shared umbrella, until they reached the cliff face at the opposite end of the beach. Every now and again, Pearl and Violet would run past them each holding eachother’s hands and a jar half-filled with rain, giggling and shrieking in their own little world. Katya and Trixie stopped in front of the crashing waves at the far end of the beach and watched a bolt of lightning flash in the distance. There wasn't a soul around except for the two of them, and Pearl and Violet at the other end of the beach.

Katya smiled to herself and looked up at Trixie.

“What are you thinking about?” Trixie asked, mirroring Katya's question on the way there.

“This,” the Russian replied, holding up their intertwined hands. “Trixie, I feel like I have been your friend my whole life, and yet we only met yesterday. I cannot tell if that is weird or wonderful.”

“Why not both,” Trixie offered, squeezing Katya's hand. “I mean, we're not exactly the epitome of normality, we do magic in our free time. Plus, when you first walked in yesterday you were wearing a shirt with a black and white collage of dogs on, a red tartan skirt and platform jellies. _Platform jellies_.”

“Hey, my jellies are fashion forward and comfortable, watch your tongue,” Katya laughed. She let go of Trixie's hand to run across the sand and do a cartwheel. When she stood up again, she thrust her hands into the air and shouted “ _Vas ozhidayet bolshoye budushcheye_ ” to the sky.

“Okay, what the hell does that mean?” Trixie asked, amazed by the girl's sudden outburst of energy.

“A great future is reserved for you.” Katya replied, flushed from running and the cold.

Trixie took hold of Katya's hand once again and invited her back underneath the umbrella. “I think you might just be right.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “That's okay. We have all of our days ahead of us.” Katya lifted her head slightly to look at Trixie's face and give her a smile wide enough to reach her eyes and form little crows feet there, which Trixie found endearing; it was probably just a passing phrase, but it filled her heart with so much warmth that she couldn't help but mirror Katya's grin – if the rest of Trixie's days could be like this by Katya's side, she would die happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all of your lovely words on this so far!! if you have any suggestions you'd like to make hit me up on my tumblr @melllifluxus because i haven't finished writing this yet so i'm all ears if there's anything you'd like to see happen in this.
> 
> enjoy lads <3

“Yo Trixie, you nearly done? I'm fucking freezing my ass off out here,” Pearl yelled from outside the bathroom door, her hair still dripping icy cold water from the rain down her back and causing her to shiver.

“Yeah I'll be out in a sec, Pearlie.” Trixie turned off the shower and stepped out of the hot steam. The piercing cold of the rain paired with the strong seaside winds had left Trixie's skin numb to the touch, and yet she was flushed in the cheeks and warm inside before she had even gotten into the shower. After a while on the beach, Katya and Trixie had decided to abandon using the umbrella because it kept turning inside out due to the strength of the wind, and joined Pearl and Violet in running up and down the beach, hand in hand. Both the exertion of the running and the rush of warmth she got whenever Katya held onto her hand as though she never wanted to let go stopped the freezing air from penetrating her skin too much.

Trixie wrapped her soaked blonde hair into a towel atop her head and took a second towel to cover her body before stepping out into the hallway. “It's all yours.”

Pearl ran into the bathroom and shut the door behind her, the sound of the shower turning back on audible from the outside of the bathroom. Trixie plodded up to her and Katya's room, one hand on her towel and the other on the side of the ladder as she climbed it.

When she reached the top, she noticed that Katya was laid upside down on her bed reading a Russian magazine. She was the first to shower when they got home, so she was wearing her pyjamas (the same red t-shirt, but this time with a pair of black shorts) with her damp hair dangling over the side of the bed and touching the floor, her curls already becoming defined again as they dried. She moved the magazine from in front of her face and greeted Trixie. “Better?”

“A lot, yeah,” she replied with a nervous laugh. “Uh, Katya?”

“Да?”

“Could you maybe look away for a sec while I put some clothes on?”

“Oh, yes, sorry. Don't want your pussy playing peek-a-boo.”

Trixie laughed out loud as Katya retreated back behind her magazine, albeit reluctantly; the towel only covered down to the tops of Trixie's thighs, and her legs were beautiful to look at, long and tan, and curving in all the right places. Katya wondered whether they would be smooth to touch, but caught herself before her mind wandered too far. _Don't do this_ , she thought to herself, you've known her for two days; _don't throw yourself into the deep end already._

Trixie looked over her shoulder at Katya once she had put on her bra and panties and laughed.

“What's funny?” Katya asked.

“You, laying like that. How is that not super uncomfortable, I can see the blood rushing to your face from here,” Trixie said sarcastically.

“ _It's you that's making me blush, honey,”_ Katya wanted to reply but wouldn't – couldn't, not so soon - and so she just shurgged her shoulders in reply instead and flipped over to be laying on her front, propped up by her elbows so she could look at the beautiful girl in front of her properly whilst they spoke, despite Trixie having her turned her back to Katya again in search of her nightgown. The sight of Trixie in nothing but her underwear was heavenly, Katya couldn't help but marvel at her beauty whilst her back was still turned. Without the baggy t-shirts Trixie always wore, Katya could finally see the form of her figure, and she could have sworn that God was having a good day when he created her because she was perfect; her hips were full and round, and Katya followed the outline of them up to the inward curve of her waist – the proportions of her silhouette were almost doll-like. Her backside was barely covered by the thin lacy material of her panties, and was sweetly plump and soft-looking, almost like a peach – one that Katya wouldn't say no to taking a bite out of.

“Hey, have you seen my nightgown? I can't find it.” Trixie turned back around to question Katya, making the Russian snap out of her fantasy and quickly shift her gaze from Trixie's bottom to her eyes.

“Uh, no, I do not think so.”

“Will you help me look?”

Katya only nodded in response, climbing off her bed to look around the room for the missing garment.

After a few minutes of searching, Katya was the one to find the nightgown under the pile of clothes Trixie took off before getting in the shower. She walked over to the blonde and handed it over, noticing a tattoo on her hip as she got closer.

“Ooh Trix, what's that, _mishka_?” she asked, pointing at the mark.

“Oh, it's a sigil. I like tracing them in my cooking and stuff so I thought, why not have one on my skin?”

“What does it mean?”

“' _I am safe and loved_.'” She squirmed a little under Katya's gaze, a little worried that the Russian would be picking out all the faults on her body that she could find, and pulled her nightgown over her head. “Sorry,” she laughed nervously, “I hate having my body on show.”

Katya was blown away by how little confidence Trixie seemed to have. “Why? You should be proud of your body, Trixie. There is not a single thing wrong with it.”

“I don't know, I'm just used to people picking out my flaws, I guess. It happened all the time in school, like when we'd get changed for gym class and stuff.” Trixie stared at the floor and had become withdrawn, and not at all the shiningly happy personality Katya had grown to be so fond of over the last couple of days, and she didn't like seeing her sad one bit.

“Trixie, look at me.” Katya touched the bottom of Trixie's chin with a curled finger to encourage her to look up. “We are not defined by our flaws. And you should not let the words of blind idiots define you either.” Katya moved her hands to hold onto Trixie's arms and give an encouraging squeeze, gently tracing over them with her thumbs. “I think you look perfect just the way you are.”

Trixie smiled shyly, looking Katya directly with the most sincere expression. “Thank you, Katya.”

Katya returned her smile and pulled her into a hug, having to stand on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around Trixie's shoulders and bury her face into her neck. “Do the other girls know you feel like this?”

“Yeah, but we tend not to talk about stuff like that. It's kinda awkward, I guess.”

Katya hummed in agreement, noticing that Trixie was keen to change the subject, and stayed in the embrace for a moment longer before letting go and heading towards the ladder. “Come on. Let's go enjoy the rest of the evening.”

 

* * *

 

By 7pm, everyone had been in the shower and were sat in the lounge playing cards, bar Katya and Trixie who were in the kitchen contemplating dinner.

“Can we just have pizza tonight? I'm exhausted and I don't wanna cook anything from scratch,” Trixie asked, taking a sip from her mug of coffee.

“Good idea,” Katya agreed, taking three pizzas out of the freezer and putting them in the oven. Trixie sat on the countertop with her hands wrapped around her mug to keep them warm; just like her and Katya begun that morning. She was amazed by how much had happened between them in one day. They had gone from being near strangers to two peas in a pod; Trixie couldn't ever remember having a friend like that, where she could just connect with a person and understand them, and be understood in return – especially not so quickly.

“Aren't you coming back to the lounge with the others? It sounds like Violet is winning, I want to kick her ass,” Katya said with a devilish look.

“Yeah, in a sec,” Trixie said with a humoured smile, “I just wanna sit and chill for a minute, it's been a long day.” She shivered from the cold wood of the counter and her still slightly-damp hair touching her skin. Katya nodded and walked out of the kitchen, presumably to join the rest of the girls, but returned again only a few moments later, this time carrying a blanket over her shoulders. She climbed on top of the counter next to Trixie and threw the blanket around both of their shoulders.

“What are you doing?” Trixie laughed nervously.

“Sitting and chilling,” Katya replied matter-of-factly. “Only without the chilling because you are cold already, so we are warming, yes?”

Trixie laughed again breathily. Katya often didn't make much sense .- that much was clear already - but she was funny and had a kind heart that Trixie adored. “Thank you.”

Katya rested her head on Trixie's shoulder and hovered her hands over the girl's coffee cup to warm her hands from the steam. “I had fun today, _mishka_. We should do these things again.”

“Yeah, we should.” Trixie was shocked by their sudden closeness, but slowly leaned into the touch and rested her head on top of Katya's.

“Tomorrow?”

“I can't, sweetie, I'm at work,” Trixie sighed, and almost instantly regretted the pet name she let slip. Katya, on the other hand, seemed to accept it, and smiled at the fondness in Trixie's words.

“That's okay. We have all of our days ahead of us.” Katya lifted her head slightly to look at Trixie's face and give her a smile wide enough to reach her eyes and form little crows feet there, which Trixie found endearing; it was probably just a passing phrase, but it filled her heart with so much warmth that she couldn't help but mirror Katya's grin – if the rest of Trixie's days could be like this by Katya's side, she would die happy.

They sat in silence for another twenty minutes, enjoying sharing the warmth of the blanket and eachother, until the timer on the oven went off and they took the pizzas out of the oven.

“Come on,” Katya said, a plate of pizza in each hand, “Let's go kick Violet's ass at cards.”

Later that night, with a few wins under her belt and a belly full of pizza, Trixie was the first to go to bed; she had to be up earlier the next morning to go to work. She climbed under the covers and sat up against her pillows after she turned her bedside lamp on. She scrolled through her phone whilst music softly played in the background. Only around fifteen minutes later, she heard the squeaking of the ladder and looked up to see Katya pop up into the room.

“Trying to stalk me again or something?” Trixie joked, putting her phone down.

“Damn, you clocked me. I didn't know your real name was Sherlock Mattel.” Katya turned on her own bedside lamp to further illuminate the room. “Violet kept winning and it got boring so Pearl started making out with her, and then Max went into the garden and Fame joined her so she could astral project away from all the snogging,” she explained. “I didn't exactly want to join in with them, so I thought I'd come and keep you company.”

“Wow, I'm touched that you find me the least disgusting thing in this household.”

Katya laughed and moved to sit on the edge of Trixie's bed. “What are you listening to?”

“Oh, I dunno, it's just the radio. I haven't heard this song I don't think.”

“It's nice. I prefer Russian radio, though. I can actually understand all of the words a hundred percent of the time,” she joked, “Seriously, trying to listen to Eminem and make any sense of it when English is, like, your third language is like walking on legos.”

“Do you miss being in Russia? Being away from your family must be hard.”

“The only family I have is my Мама. My real family is here, with all of you.” She reached out and took Trixie's hand to squeeze it. “Plus, I can call my mother whenever I like, so it is fine.”

“I'm glad you're close with your mom,” Trixie smiled sadly.

Katya considered asking Trixie about her family, but seeing her suddenly reserved made her second guess herself. It was clearly something that made Trixie upset, so she decided to steer clear from it and change the subject.

“What time do you have to be up for work in the morning?”

“I usually go in to open the shop at 9, but I'm always awake by like 7 anyways so I don't have to set an alarm.”

“I'll probably catch you in the morning too then. You saw this morning, I'm an early riser like you.”

“As long as you don't end up kicking me while you do your yoga then I'm happy for you to keep me company,” Trixie joked in return.

Katya smiled. “Go to sleep _mishka_. I'll see you in the morning.” Katya stood up and squeezed Trixie's hand again, leaning over to place a kiss on her cheek. “Dobroy nochi, Trixie.”

* * *

The next morning, Trixie awoke to an empty bedroom because, as promised, Katya had beaten her to the living room to do her daily morning yoga. The young blonde was still half asleep when she reached the bottom of the stairs, so the sight of Katya bent completely in half at the waist didn't seem one hundred percent feasible at 7 o'clock in the morning considering how tired she still felt herself.

 Katya peered behind her legs at the sound of the living room door opening, and a broad grin spread across her face the moment she laid eyes on Trixie. “Dobroy ootro, Trixie!”

“Wow, you really weren't joking about this whole yoga thing, huh?” the girl replied with a weak laugh, rubbing the rest of the sleep from her eyes.

Katya stood upright and shook off her legs. She picked up a mug of still steaming coffee from the coffee table and perched on the edge of the sofa with her legs tucked underneath herself, patting the empty space beside her to invite the other girl to sit with her.

“In a sec, Kat, I need some coffee first,” Trixie simply said, turning to walk to the kitchen.

“I just made a batch so it should still be hot!” Katya called after her.

In the kitchen, Trixie smiled softly at seeing that Katya had left her pink and white flowery mug out ready for her on the counter, and filled it with the coffee from the machine (Katya was right – it was still steaming hot, and warmed Trixie's face when she held it up close). She leant against the counter for a moment and looked out of the kitchen window; Max was – as usual – pottering around in her greenhouse. Trixie smiled and watched her for a moment, only to notice shortly after that Max wasn't alone: Fame popped up beside Max from where she appeared to be crouching and giggled, smudging a bit of soil from her thumb onto Max's nose. Trixie still didn't know whether the two girls were an item or just really close friends since they kept to themselves most of the time, but she couldn't help but feel a warmth at the sight of them being so sweet with one another. _Looks like this house is filling up with cute couples_ , she thought to herself. She hated to get ahead of herself, but she couldn't help thinking that after practically being a fifth wheel to the other pairs of girls in the coven for the past year and a half, she was finally being given a chance to have her own person to connect with in the form of a fun-loving and completely whacko Russian woman.

Upon remembering that Katya was waiting for her back in the lounge, she left the kitchen and returned with her mug of coffee still held close to her cheek in an effort to warm her up. Katya was now sat in a full split, with her body flat on the floor infront of her, reading her magazine and sipping at her coffee as if she was just sat on the sofa.

“How the fuck do you do that?” Trixie marveled, her jaw practically hitting the floor as soon as she saw the human rubber band sat before her.

“I shall show you if you would like?” Katya smiled, sitting back up and moving her legs so that she was kneeling.

 

Katya ''showing'' Trixie yoga turned out not to be a demonstration, but an active participation; she had Trixie in a shoulder stand in no time at all, and was holding onto her legs to keep her upright.

“Are you sure I'm doing this right? I'm pretty sure my head shouldn't curl onto my chest like this, it's not natural,” Trixie complained, both hands on her lower back to keep her bottom half in the air.

“Shh, _mishka_. This is only a warmup, it is fine. You will get used to it.” Katya reassured her.

After not much longer, Trixie got bored of the simpler poses, and requested something more exciting. Katya suggested a handstand, which found the two girls laughing as Trixie bent over, both hands on the floor, with Katya's hands grasping her waist in an attempt to lift her into the pose. Trixie was flustered from the combination of laughing with her head below her heart so all the blood rushed towards it, and the feeling of Katya holding onto her waist so firmly.

“Come on Trixie, just press your weight into your hands!” Katya pleaded, “I've got you, just trust me.”

At that, Trixie calmed her giggles and decided that she did, in fact, trust Katya a great deal. So, she pushed into the ground and began lifting her body, allowing Katya to pull her up the rest of the way until her feet and bottom were resting against the wall.

Trixie released a series of “oh my god”s and “I'm doing it”s as Katya applauded and cheered her on, until she saw Trixie begin to fall back without warning. Katya lunged out to catch her but was too late in her attempt, and within a matter of seconds, she was underneath Trixie on the floor.

Trixie yelled as she laughed, “You should have caught me you bitch! I'm gonna get you for this.” She took the opportunity to pin Katya's arms above her head while she was on top of her so that she could tickle her sides, earning another cackling laugh from the Russian.

“No, please!” Katya begged between wheezes, “Trixie I am sorryyyyyy, you win!”

With that, Trixie seized her attack on Katya's waist and propped herself up with her arms either side of Katya's shoulders; she was now sat straddling her hips, and was leaning forward enough that her hair was tickling Katya's face. Katya brushed it away, and began gently combing through the ends of her hair, which earned a soft hum and smile from Trixie.

“I like your hair, _mishka_. It is very soft and pretty.”

“You keep calling me 'mishka', what does that mean?” Trixie asked.

“I suppose it literally translates as 'little mouse'” Katya said thoughtfully, still twirling Trixie's blonde locks between her fingers in front of her face.

“Wow, thanks, you rat,” Trixie retorted, but with no hint of malice in her voice; she was amused, if anything.

“No, it's a term of endearment,” the older girl explained, “Because you are cute and soft.” She shifted her gaze from Trixie's hair in her hands to her eyes, and took a moment to appreciate how vibrant and bewitching they actually were. “Your eyes are very blue, I have not noticed until now. Come here, let me see,” Katya gave Trixie's hair a gentle tug to beckon her closer and she obliged, leaning down so that their noses were almost near enough to be touching.

Trixie's mind was running wild; first Katya had called her cute and played with her hair, sending a pleasant tingle down her spine, and now she was so close that she could feel the other girl's breath on her own face. She had to shift from her hands to her elbows to get close enough, and when Katya moved her hair out of the way of blocking the light – stroking the back of her neck as she tucked it around to the other side of her – she felt a blush on her cheeks grow stronger by the second, and found herself completely lost for words.

The light from the sunrise suddenly started peeking through the living room window, and landed on Trixie's face in a way that made her look as though she was shimmering; her cheeks were given a golden glow and the blue of her eyes was piercing and dazzling. “ _Krasivaya_ ,” Katya whispered, suddenly aware of the silent tension between them, and just how close they were.

“What does that mean?”

“Beautiful.” The Russian moved her free hand to reach up and gently brush her thumb against where the sunlight hit Trixie's cheek, and smiled.

“Katya-”

“If you two are gonna wake us up every single day by scream-laughing the house down, I'm shipping Katya back to Russia myself.”

The two were shocked out of their moment by a clearly disgruntled, yet still-joking Violet, who's tousled hair made it obvious that she had only just dragged herself out of bed. She was followed closely by Pearl – the two were basically joined at the hip. Upon hearing that the door had opened, Trixie sat back up in haste, leaving her unfinished sentence hanging in the air between her and Katya.

“Woah, what are you two doing?” Pearl added to Violet's comment after taking a glance at the two girls on the living room floor. Katya was still laying flat on the floor with Trixie straddling her lap, and the position looked oddly suspicious to the two who had not seen the events leading up to it.

Katya and Trixie simply looked at one another, before simultaneously shrieking, “Nothing!” whilst Trixie hopped back to her feet and reached out a hand to help Katya back up too. The four girls stood in awkward silence for an extended moment, glancing at one another but none of them saying another word until Trixie chimed in with an “I need to go get ready for work,”, and rushing up to the bathroom.

“Care to explain?” Violet asked Katya with a raised eyebrow once Trixie had left the room.

Katya simply smirked and replied with a simple, “Nope.”

 

* * *

 

As Trixie unlocked the front door to leave to walk to work, she was stopped in her movements by a distant, accented cry of, “Trixieeee, waaaaait!”

“Woah Katya, what? I need to go or else I'll be late.”

“Yes I know, but you forgot your lunch,” Katya said as though it was obvious, holding a small tupperware tub out in front of her that appeared to contain sandwiches and...crystals?

“What's this? And what's with the stones?” Trixie asked, perplexed.

“It is your lunch, _mishka_. I made it for you, keep you nourished. And they are citrine crystals. Good for business, help you work, yes?” Katya declared, seemingly proud of her little box of sandwiches.

“You do realise I work at a café, right? One that sells sandwiches that I can just buy for myself?”

“Well yeah, but homemade is always better.” Katya said with a shrug.

Trixie accepted the tub held in front of her with a soft laugh and put it into her handbag. “Thanks, Kat.”

“Have a good day at work, Trixie.” Katya waved her out of the door with a warm kiss on the cheek, lingering for a little longer than she had the night before.

As Trixie turned to walk down the path, she smiled at Katya's unexpected little act of kindness, blushed at the kiss she still felt lingering on her cheek, and went to work with a skip in her step.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What was it actually like before I came?” Trixie asked, “Like how did the coven actually become a thing, and all that? I never realised how little we'd actually talked about how it was before, since there was a whole other person living here before me that I didn't even know existed until a week ago.”  
> Upon hearing herself mentioned, Katya looked up at Trixie from where she was leaning against the floor on her elbow, and sat up to be resting against the girl's side again, leaning her head on her shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: rape/sexual assault mentions, homophobia
> 
> thank you all so much for the lovely comments on this!! it makes me so so happy to know it's being enjoyed <3

For the next week, Katya and Trixie found themselves falling into a routine of sorts; every morning before Trixie went to work, Katya went downstairs before her to do her yoga and prepare a coffee for Trixie, before the youngest girl joined in with the morning exercise (by Thursday, Trixie could press herself into a handstand). Then, whilst Trixie showered and got dressed, Katya would make her lunch and add a touch of magic to every box that was different everyday – on days when Trixie had had a tiring day at work, Katya would add celestite stones to her little tub to help relieve stress, and if she had to deal with particularly agitating customers, Katya gave her an aquamarine stone the next day to give Trixie peace.

Now, however, the weekend was rolling around again, meaning that the whole coven could spend Friday evening with one another after not being able to be together during the week; Trixie often didn't finish until late at the café, Fame and Violet could end up with very long shifts at the department store they worked at, and Pearl DJ'ed almost every weeknight. Luckily, Max usually only worked during the day, since the local gardening store she worked at never stayed open late. This gave Katya guaranteed company every night, since she was the only girl unemployed and thus almost always at home.

Thanks to Katya's cooking expertise (and with a little help from Max in the form of herb cuttings, plus some spices she stole from Trixie's special cupboard) a meal of chicken fajitas for six was ready by the time everyone had returned from work, and all the girls were sat once again on the living room floor, the TV playing on low in the background. Violet was sat between Pearl's legs as the latter leaned against the front of the shortest couch, Fame and Max were sat facing one another in the middle of the floor, and Katya and Trixie sat leaning against the front of the other sofa side-by-side, their shoulders pressed together. Katya bent her head to rest it on the other girl's shoulder, but Trixie jokingly pulled a face and batted her away. “Ew, Katya, I can feel your jaw chewing when you do that, that's so fucking weird,” she laughed, “You can at least wait until you swallow.”

“I do not swallow, Trixie, I am a lady.” Katya waggled her eyebrows and stuffed half a filled tortilla in her mouth, which all five of the other witches turned to see, and subsequently laugh at.

“Katya that's disgusting,” Max protested, a laugh still threatening to escape from her.

“What are you going to do, Maxine? Hex me?” Katya replied distortedly, her mouth full of fajita.

Max grimaced but laughed all the same. “I'll certainly consider it.”

“All fajita deep-throating aside,” Trixie began, side-eyeing Katya sarcastically, “I actually love it when we all get to sit together like this. I was surprised we could even fit six people in here.”

“I am slender and flexible, Tabitha, I can fit anywhere,” Katya winked, whacking her leg straight into the air.

“Has she always been like this?” Trixie asked the others, gesturing towards the contorted Russian with her thumb.

“Relentlessly so,” Violet confirmed, faking annoyance.

“You know you love me, _devochki_.”

“We do,” Fame added with a smile, “We're so glad you're back.”

“What was it actually like before I came?” Trixie asked, “Like how did the coven actually become a thing, and all that? I never realised how little we'd actually talked about how it was before, since there was a whole other person living here before me that I didn't even know existed until a week ago.”

Upon hearing herself mentioned, Katya looked up at Trixie from where she was leaning against the floor on her elbow, and sat up to be resting against the girl's side again, this time leaning her head on her shoulder without the chewing motions.

“It was myself and Fame who started the whole thing off,” Max began. “We had been friends for years as teenagers because our mothers were super close, and we both knew the other was a witch and so joined in with eachothers' crafts.”

“I tried to teach her about what I do – you know, spirit work and scrying and stuff – but she could never get the hang of it. I guess we're even though, because I don't get her obsession with plants even to this day.” Fame smiled again fondly as she looked over at Max and leaned forward to rest her head on the girl's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her waist.

“Anyway, we eventually moved here together because we both wanted to leave home but couldn't afford to get a place by ourselves, so we paired up.”

“And then I joined in,” Violet chimed in, turning all the girls' heads towards her. “Well, after a few months, at least. Fame and I met at work – we've been there for years now, and my fashion department and her makeup department are on the same floor, so we've always spent loads of time together there – and it's how we became friends. Then one day, she found out that I was a witch too and she asked me to join their little coven, so I said yes.”

Trixie readjusted herself to be more comfortable by draping her arm around Katya's shoulders and resting her own head atop the other girl's, before chiming in to the conversation, “So I'm guessing you brought Pearl along with you, right?”

Violet looked up at Pearl from where she was leaning with her own back against her front, and smiled, “No, actually. I'd never even met her at that point.” Violet knew that to anyone looking at the pair at any point during their daily lives, they looked as though they had known eachother their whole lives because of how close they were. They never did anything without the other girl by their side, as though they truly were two halves of a better whole.

“Seriously?” Katya added, “I thought you were the one to introduce Pearl to everyone? You always do nowadays – 'hi, this is my girlfriend Pearl', 'oh have I mentioned my beautiful girlfriend', 'let me tell you about my wonderful Pearlie',” she mocked in a nasally, high-pitched voice.

“Shut up, you whore, I totally do not talk like that,” Violet screeched, laughing, “Sorry for loving my soulmate.” She finished her pseudo-scalding with a gracefully raised middle finger.

“Aw you love me, that's gay,” Pearl said as she squeezed Violet by the boob.

“Can we please get through one night without you two groping eachother?” Max moaned, “I'm sure Trixie would quite like to hear the rest of this story, wouldn't you dear?”

“Yeah, _thank you_ Max,” Trixie attempted to speak sternly to hush the rest of the girls, but couldn't help join in with the bouncing giggles that were coming from Katya and jerking her shoulder.

“Anyways,” Pearl began again, “It was actually Max who introduced me to these guys – we were best friends way back in high school, and after we graduated and she moved here with Fame, I came over to visit loads because we used to always go to eachothers' houses for full moons and to do spells and stuff, so it was only natural. Eventually I just ended up moving in because I was here most of the time anyway.”

“Plus you got to share a room with me, so, y'know,” Violet added with a wink.

“Yeah, and it took you no time at all to need a double bed in there, ya nasty fucks,” Fame laughed, “It used to be so funny when we'd hear you having sex too loudly so we'd hex you for it, I'm glad Trixie has carried on that tradition.”

“Yeah but come on, what was harder to live with, the sex or the pining?”

At that, every single witch except for Trixie shouted, “PINING!” and laughed.

“Were you guys really that bad?” Trixie giggled with a grimace.

“Oh yeah,” Katya said, looking up at Trixie, “Fame used to always tell them 'the spirits say you guys should fuck', and-”

“You know what, I changed my mind, I don't wanna hear it.”

“Well anyway, after Pearl I was the last to join before you, Trix.” Katya sat up so she could look at the youngest girl more easily.

“Oh yeah, you moved here from Russia to study art at college, right?”

“Dа! And it was the best decision I ever made. I knew Fame from online and we were super close, so when she found out I was coming to a college nearby she offered me a place to stay, and I just never left. It became my home,” Katya said lovingly, looking around her second family, leaving Trixie until last so that she could pat her thigh fondly. “What about you Trixie? What made you join the coven?”

At Katya's words, the whole room went silent. Trixie's smile had slipped away; she looked away from the other girl's gaze and tried to change the subject. “Uh, it's a long story, you don't wanna hear it.”

“Sure I do, it's a long night!” Katya pressed on, seemingly unaware of Trixie's discomfort.

Fame tried to warn her with a soft, “Katya, don't,” but it was too late: Trixie had removed herself with the excuse that she was going to get a drink.

“What was that?” Katya whispered, “Did I do something wrong? Was it because I touched her thigh, was it too much? I -”

“Katya, calm down, it wasn't that.” Fame stopped the Russian in her tracks. “I warned you not to mention that in front of her, it's...difficult for her.”

Katya, having suddenly remembered Fame's warnings from last week, put her face in her hands and internally cursed her lack of a mental filter. “Shit, I forgot. I am so sorry. What happened to her though, was it bad?”

Fame only nodded sadly. “It doesn't feel right telling you ourselves, it's not our past to invade on. Wait until she feels ready to let you know. But go talk to her now, make sure she's alright.”

Katya stood up immediately and went straight to the kitchen to find Trixie with her back to her, filling a glass of water from the sink.

“Trixie?”

She turned around and Katya could tell that she had been crying; her eyes were red and puffy, and she was still sniffling. “Sorry,” she said, hastily wiping at her eyes, “We were having a good night, I didn't mean to ruin it.”

“Do not be silly, _mishka_ , it was my fault for being so nosy. You do not have to tell me about any of that if you don't want to, and I won't ask again.”

“Thank you,” Trixie smiled a little and walked over to Katya to hug her, and received an unexpectedly tight and warm embrace from the Russian, who finished by kissing Trixie on the cheek. Trxie then walked back over to the sink to grab her glass of water. “Hey, could you pass my phone a sec? I put it on the counter behind you when I walked in.”

Katya turned around to pick up the phone and held it in the air for Trixie to take, when she was suddenly frozen in her movements by a vision that began to distract her vision and take over her mind's eye:

_A man's hand instead of Katya's was gripped around Trixie's pink iPhone - which looked brand new here – and was gesturing in the air with it wildly. “What the fuck is this, Beatrix? These messages are disgusting, calling this girl beautiful, saying that you love her! I didn't raise you to be a dyke,” he yelled manically. Trixie then came into view, looking no older than 18 – she was backed up against her pink bedroom wall and fear was plastered onto her face as if it had been carved in stone. She was desperately screaming her own defense._

“ _No, that's not what it looks like! I'm not gay, I promise dad, I-”_

“ _Shut the fuck up, you faggot, I know how friends talk to eachother and this is not it!” With that, he threw the phone onto Trixie's carpet with as much aggression as he could muster. “I'm going to fix you, I won't have no lesbian under my roof!”_

_Trixie was now frantically yelling for help, but it was to no avail now that her stepdad had grabbed her by the shoulders and was pushing her towards her bed. He slapped her with each cry of “NO!” and “STOP IT!” in an effort to shut her up, but then moved to sit on top of her as she lay on her front, sobbing into her pillow, and lifted up her skirt._

“ _Katya! KATYA!”_

 “Katya?”

Upon snapping out of her vision, Katya dropped the phone that was in her hand and looked over to Trixie, who was unaware of what she had just witnessed. After bending down to pick her phone up from the floor, Trixie moved to stand directly in front of Katya and placed her own hands on her upper arms. “Are you okay? You zoned out for a while there, I was worried.” Trixie laughed to try and lighten the mood, but received no response. “Katya? You look like you've seen a ghost, talk to me.”

_The ghosts of your past, maybe._

“Oh Trixie,” was all the Russian could muster before she completely blacked out and fell into the young girl's arms.

 

* * *

 

Katya awoke to the smell of sandalwood incense and a cold sensation on her forehead, accompanied by hands gently combing through her hair. She squinted her eyes before opening them slowly, pleasantly surprised by the absence of the blinding kitchen light and instead being greeted by a nicely dimmed room, and the sight of Trixie peering down at her from where Katya was laying in the girl's lap.

“Hey, witchy woman. You've been out for a while, what happened to you?” Trixie softly spoke, trying to hide the concern in her voice, but being unable to prevent it from etching lines onto her face.

Katya merely groaned in response and held a hand up to her eyes to rub them. “I don't know, I can't remember. My head is killing me.”

“Well, you zoned out in the kitchen then just completely blacked out. Like, totally collapsed. I've been worried sick about you and I had to get Fame to help me carry you in here so you could lie on the couch instead of the floor,” Trixie began, still lightly tracing her fingers over the crown of Katya's head and twirling her curls between them. “I told her what happened to you and she said it's happened before, but 'only with bad ones' – which made absolutely no sense – and that you'd probably want to explain to me yourself.”

Katya suddenly remembered the vision that had recoiled on her so viciously that it managed to knock her out. _'It only happens with bad ones'_. And Trixie, oh _god_ , that actually happened to her?

“Trixie...” she began, but then faltered; where the hell was she supposed to begin? _“Oh sorry I forgot to mention my super fun ability to gain unwanted visions from inanimate objects, my bad.”_

“It's alright, Kat, you can tell me later, you're obviously still out of it a little, you should rest,” Trixie tried to soothe Katya; she still had no idea what the other girl had seen and it was killing Katya.

“No, please, I'm fine, my head just hurts a little. This is more important.” _You're more important._ “Well, you know how Fame is clairaudient and Max is an empath? My little power, if you like, is psychometry – I can touch pretty much any object and get a glimpse into any important thing that happened involving it, as a vision.”

“Oh that's so cool!” Trixie had always been quite jealous of witches that had their own innate psychic abilities.

“Yeah, it is when I can control it – which is most of the time! - but sometimes they just spring up on me and if they're powerful enough they can make me pass out, just 'cause they're so overwhelming.” Katya looked down into where her hands were resting into her lap, trying to choose her words carefully.

“Oh god, what did you see just now, then?”

Katya told her, and it ripped her heart to shreds; as soon as she had finished, Trixie froze, then took a deep breath, and burst into tears. Katya sat up immediately, ignoring the pounding rush of pain in her head, and wrapped her arms around Trixie, who buried her face into Katya's neck and stayed there, sobbing, as Katya rubbed the back of her neck soothingly.

Neither of them spoke; they didn't need to. They simply sat there, emotions spilling from one another's hearts until Trixie's crying calmed down enough for her to talk.

“I'm sorry.” Her voice was so tiny and vulnerable, Katya never wanted to let go of her.

“What on earth are you sorry for, angel? It's him who should be sorry for doing that to you. If he was here right now I wouldn't hesitate to tear him to pieces.”

“Wait, where did it end? How much did you see?”

“You snapped me out of it just as he was lifting your skirt,” Katya replied, her voice dripping with hatred towards the vile man who had hurt Trixie like this.

“Oh...so you don't know what happened next?”

“Trix, honey, I don't think I want to-”

“No, Katya, he never actually...you know. Got that far.”

“What do you mean?” Katya sat back, half-perching on Trixie's lap so that she could watch her face whilst she spoke.

“That was the last time I was ever at home. And the first night I spent here.”

Trixie went on to explain everything to Katya; how the 4 girls of the original coven just happened to be driving through Trixie's neighbourhood on their way to the coast that night, when Fame had heard that there would be a girl needing their help; a fellow witch, no less – her clairaudience meant that she often received messages about things about to happen, or she would hear snippets of current conversations, even if they were happening a mile away. She had heard Trixie's situation and drove to her house, the voices leading the way, and the four of them broke in just in time – they had found Trixie as Katya had last seen her in her vision, and took her away immediately to their home (but not before beating the absolute shit out of her stepdad). She'd lived with them ever since.

“I honestly don't know where I would be right now if they hadn't been there that night. I owe them my life.”

“Trixie, I'm so sorry.” Katya was relieved that she hadn't been hurt as badly as she first feared, but had never felt such a strong desire to protect someone. She simply wrapped her arms around her tightly and buried her face back into the crook of her neck. Trixie mirrored her, and took a deep breath in now that her breathing had finally returned back to normal after crying. Katya smelled like coffee and cigarettes and lavender oil and _home_. Trixie knew she was safe now, but somehow felt even more so in Katya's embrace.

“Come on, sweetheart. Let's go to bed; it's been a very long day.” Katya said, pulling back and cupping Trixie's face in her hands. She wiped the tear tracks from her cheeks with her thumbs and smiled gently, before standing up and holding a hand out for Trixie to take.

Once they had made it to their room on the top floor, they shared a wordless, knowing glance before pushing their single beds together. Katya climbed under the covers as soon as she had gotten into her pyjamas, with Trixie following shortly after. Katya held her arms open and Trixie followed, crawling over to rest her head in the space between Katya's head and chest, snaking her arms around her waist to get as close as she possibly could. Katya kissed the top of Trixie's head and held onto her for dear life.

It was the best night's sleep Trixie had gotten in two years.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I think you put a spell on me.” 
> 
> “It's what I do best, pumpkin,” Katya replied with a wink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all so much for the sweet messages you've left me for this fic!! it means a lot and i hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as i've enjoyed writing it <3

When Trixie awoke the next morning, she felt cleansed; she had never properly talked about the night that Katya had seen in her vision since it happened – it became a bit of an unspoken rule amongst the other girls not to bring it up with her because they didn't want to bring it to the forefront of her mind again. She was still shaken by it, obviously, but having to actually confront the memory of her step-dad during her talk with Katya the night before, it had made her realise that she shouldn't ignore her past but acknowledge it, to let herself become at peace with it. It was a big step for her towards genuine peace of mind. She had probably only felt more grateful once before: towards the coven for saving her on that same night.

“Good morning, Trixie,” a soft, accented voice came from somewhere beside Trixie. Katya was already awake, sitting cross-legged in the empty space beside Trixie, sipping on a still-steaming mug of coffee and holding a book called “The Little Book of Crystals”, but her focus had shifted from it to Trixie upon seeing her stir awake. Trixie's hand was curled around something hard and cold, which she was pretty certain she didn't have when she fell asleep.

“What's this?” Trixie said, opening her eyes properly and bringing it up to her face to get a better glimpse at it; it was clear with streaks of white, and jagged like a stone.

“Selenite. It's good for peaceful sleep. I didn't want you to have any bad dreams after last night or anything.” Katya said, folding down a corner on the book and putting it down beside her.

“Well it worked,” Trixie began, “I haven't slept that well in a long time. I think you put a spell on me.”

“It's what I do best, pumpkin,” Katya replied with a wink.

“Where did you even get this? I wasn't holding it when I fell asleep.”

Katya smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Magic.” (She actually keeps it under her pillow every night anyway, but that's not anywhere near as mysterious as she'd like people to think – especially the girl across from her that she was trying to impress).

“Sure thing, David Copperfield.” Trixie laughed and reached down to the ground to where her phone lay – she couldn't reach to put it on her beside table after moving her own bed to meet Katya's in the middle of the room the night before – and breathed a sigh of relief when she realised that it was Saturday, meaning no work. Thank fuck; she gladly welcomed the break after the emotional rollercoaster of the night before. Trixie also noticed that it was 9am: a legitimate sleep-in for her, given that she usually beat the sun itself out of bed, never mind her alarm. Katya's crystals really were doing a number on her - in the best way possible. She rolled back over to face Katya, who was still watching her every move with a fondness in her gaze, and presented her with a sleepy, content smile. She held eye contact with the other girl for a second more before her stomach growled with emptiness, breaking the silence.

Katya snorted with laughter, scrunching her eyes closed. “I think we'd better get you something to eat, it sounds like you swallowed a tuba.” She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, rolled back her shoulders, bent down to touch her toes, then walked around to Trixie's side of the bed to hold out a hand for her and pull her up, too. “What would you like to do today then, _mishka_? Your choice.”

Trixie thought for a moment before deciding on something relaxing, rather than repeating the antics of their last weekend together (as fun as it was). “Could we have, like, a pamper day or something? I'm tired and my pores are crying from all the make-up I wear.”

Katya feigned the role of an obedient maid, lowering herself into a dramatic curtsy, “Your wish is my command.” She looked up from the ground, still bent in exaggerated mock-respect, and laughed once her eyes met Trixie's. Seeing the other girl smile despite what Katya knew she had to endure in the past filled her heart with so much hope and warmth towards Trixie that she could swear it was about to burst. Today would be a good day.

* * *

“Will you fuckin' hold still?” Trixie scream-laughed as she held Katya's own hand in hers; she had painted the Russian's nails a deep red colour, and was now drawing over the top of them with a fine black sharpie: a different, tiny sigil for each finger. The two girls were sat cross-legged opposite eachother on the floor of the lounge, nail polish bottles strewn discarded around them – most of them being various shades of pink: the extent of Trixie's colour palette.

“Okay, that one was just to annoy you but the other one was an accident, I swear, I thought I was gonna sneeze!” Katya was also laughing so hard that her eyes were about to water, and pulled her hand from Trixie's to flair her arms about.

“Watch it! You might knock them, they took me ages!” Trixie yelled – yet with no hint of actual anger on her face due to the ridiculous smile plastered onto it – and grabbed Katya's hands back into her own lap. She tenderly held her right hand up to the stream of morning light coming from the window, and drew the finishing touches onto the tiny sigil on her pinky finger.

“What does that one mean?” Katya said, peering her head closer to Trixie's as she drew to get a better look.

“'I will refrain from talking in my sleep in Russian'.”

“Bitch, I do not talk in my sleep! I will fight you right now,” Katya hollered, making Trixie laugh even more than the last time. Making her happy was quickly becoming one of Katya's new favourite hobbies.

“It was only like three words, but that counts,” Trixie amended. “Oh my god, keep still, you garbage monster! I'm nearly finished.”

Katya gasped dramatically in mock offence, “Trixie Mattel, your words wound my heart.”

“Boo, you whore,” Trixie joked, “But yeah I was kidding – obviously – that one's for peaceful sleep. Thought I'd pay you back for your little selenite trick last night.”

“Why, thank you, ma'am,” Katya said, holding both hands fanned out in front of her face once Trixie had finished so she could see all of the intricate designs she had created; each one was like a tiny work of art in itself. “Wow, Trixie...I'm impressed. These are actually really beautiful.”

Trixie blushed, “Thanks, Kat. I love doing them, honestly – it's less painful and permanent than a tattoo, so I do them on myself quite a lot.”

Katya smiled softly, “It is clever – I like it very much. You could be a nail artist, you know.” she said, playfully poking at Trixie's knee. “You're one talented little lady.”

Trixie's face turned even redder; she wasn't used to so many compliments, and definitely not from a girl like Katya: beautiful, kind, funny...out of her league, for sure. When she first met Katya, she seemed like she should have been an enigma – the quintessential witch – and yet Trixie felt an element of home, of understanding and being understood, whenever she looked at her. She had discussed her own biggest secret with the girl only the night before, for goodness' sake, and it didn't make her want to run away. For so long Trixie had believed that those parts of herself were unlovable, that nobody would want to carry the burden of her past in their own minds. Katya was different. And Trixie wasn't quite sure what to do with that information, besides developing a crush that made her feel foolish and juvenile – but warm, with something, some _one_ to look forward to waking up to. Probability of infatuation: 100%. _Shit_.

* * *

Trixie and Katya had decided to abandon nail-painting after Katya had proven that she was perhaps the worst woman for the job; once Trixie had finished hers, she decided that she wanted to return the favour, which only ended in an alarming display of the colour pink all over Trixie's fingers.

“Okay, so I may not be _too_ proficient at nails, but I can make it up,” Katya said, trying to hold back her laughter whilst watching Trixie wipe all of the excess varnish from her fingers. “I know some damn good recipes for homemade face masks. Wanna try?”

“Fine. As long as it doesn't carry the potential to stain my good slippers, then I'm in.”

“Hey, it came out!”

“So did I, bitch, and we both know how that turned out!”

Katya's jaw dropped in shock before she dissolved into laughter along with Trixie. That girl had one dark sense of humour – Katya couldn't tell if it made her want to laugh or cry (or cry with laughter, as it was making her currently).

Katya stood up to retreat to the kitchen, beckoning Trixie to follow her behind. After rummaging through the cupboards and fridge for a brief moment, she returned the the counter and emptied the contents of her hands onto it: a jar of honey, a cup of yoghurt, and a banana.

“This looks more like you're about to make me a smoothie, not a face mask,” Trixie said sceptically, holding the ripe banana up for inspection, as though it was something alien.

“Trust me, Trixie. I'm a doctor,” Katya said with a devilish grin, “A _witch_ doctor!” She proceeded to sing 'witch doctor' painfully loud and out of key, making Trixie bury her face in her hands, puffing air out of her nose in amusement.

Katya continued to sing as badly as she possibly could whilst she mashed the ingredients together in a bowl one by one, then tied her hair back into a huge messy bun and gestured for Trixie to do the same.

“Hold on, you missed a bit.” Katya stood on her tiptoes to reach her hand around to the back of Trixie's neck and lift a stray section of wavy, blonde hair into Trixie's fist, where the rest was bunched. Their fingers hooked for a brief moment until Katya pulled away to set herself back onto flat feet.

Trixie smiled in thanks, then followed behind Katya again when she began walking back to the lounge, with the bowl of mush in one hand and a roll of paper towels in the other. They resumed their previous position: cross-legged opposite eachother in the middle of the geometric rug, only with less space between them this time, their knees touching.

They took turns scooping the mixture onto their own faces, occasionally reaching over to catch drips of it from the other's chin before it fell.

“How long do we have to wait before we can wipe it off?” Trixie asked, licking the banana mixture from her fingers.

“I usually wait 15 minutes,” Katya said, doing the same, then setting a 15 minute timer on her phone. “We could meditate or something while we wait; that's what I normally do.”

“Sounds good,” Trixie replied, nodding and offering Katya a smile, incredibly aware of how close they were sitting and of the warmth coming from Katya's knee onto her own, cold one. Katya reached out her hands to take Trixie's in her own gently, wrapping her fingers around Trixie's as if she might raise her hands to kiss the back of them.

“Close your eyes,” Katya whispered, “Relax your body.”

Trixie obeyed, and Katya followed. They sat in their own personal darkness in silence, tuning out any noise from the street or elsewhere in the house until the only thing they were focused on was their own breathing, and their joined hands. It was bliss.

They sat tranquil in silence for a long while, quieting their thoughts and enjoying eachothers' company. After a period, Trixie chanced peering an eye open at Katya, only to find she was staring right back at her. Katya slowly developed a close-lipped smile and lightly squeezed Trixie's hands.

“What?” Trixie asked, a smile of her own starting to form.

“Nothing.” Katya waited a beat. “You're so beautiful.”

Trixie broke their eye contact to look down at her lap and laughed breathily. “With this shit on my face? Yeah, I beg to differ.”

Katya squeezed Trixie's hand slightly tighter, brushing her thumbs over her knuckles. “I'm serious! Even with that shit on your face. It's a look, I won't lie.” Trixie shook her head with a contradicting half-smile, and Katya let go of one of her hands to rest it on the girl's leg. “Hey, I mean it, Trix. You're beautiful.”

Trixie looked back up to meet Katya's eyes again. “Thank you, Katya.” She reached down to place her free hand back on top of Katya's, and scooped her fingers underneath to hold it. “Really. Like, for everything. It's been freeing, I've needed it. It means a lot.”

Just as Katya opened her mouth to reply, the timer of her phone began to ring. “Oh, thank god, get this shit off of me, it's so sticky.”

“Amen to that,” Trixie replied, releasing Katya's hands from her grip to grab the roll of paper towels from beside her. She tore a few squares off for each of them, and lifted her hand to her own face to begin wiping it off at the same time as Katya raised her hand towards her. “Here, I'll do it so you don't miss any.”

Trixie sat still as Katya shifted to be sitting on her knees, cupped Trixie's jaw with her left hand, and began cleaning her face with her right, their faces only inches apart so that Katya could see better, and that Trixie was able to see the tiny details of Katya's eyes: icy blue with minuscule flashes of pale grey. Katya wiped Trixie's face gently, as if she might break at any moment if she was too rough. She made sure to take her time, so as to have the excuse to rest her hand on the side of her neck for as long as possible; she could even feel the speeding beat of Trixie's pulse under her palm, warm and grounding. Katya finished the job at hand with a fond tap of the tip of Trixie's nose, fiddling with the soft baby hairs at the nape of her neck before lowering her hand and discarding the paper towel to the side.

Trixie took her turn to wipe Katya's face clean, but first tucking the shorter, stray pieces of Katya's hair away from her face and behind her ears, the light touch sending a small shiver down Katya's spine. Trixie left her hand there, resting on the back of her neck, threading the tips of her fingers through the roots of Katya's hair as they lay loosely flat against her scalp leading to the bun. Trixie cleaned Katya's face with the tenderness that she had with her. She worked slowly, noticing all of the freckles and smile lines on Katya's face, the length of her curled eyelashes, the slight turning up of her plump lips. Katya's own gaze flickered across Trixie's face, down to her mouth and back up to her warm, earthly brown eyes.

Once Trixie had finished, she lowered the hand holding the paper towel, but kept her other hand cupped around Katya's neck, tracing her thumb lightly over her jawline.

“Trixie,” Katya whispered, her gaze now fully fixated on the girl's lips. She leant forward into the space between them, and Trixie met her halfway, pressing their lips together softly once, then released to make room for her blooming smile. Katya chased after her, smiling too, now, and crept her hands back up to cup Trixie's cheeks and kissed her again. She tasted like her strawberry chapstick and the banana from the face mask, and Trixie noticed that Katya tasted like cigarettes and coffee. It was bitter, but Trixie couldn't get enough of her. Katya scooped her legs out from underneath herself and scooted even closer towards Trixie, and Trixie opened her legs so that Katya could sit as close as possible. They both ended with Trixie's legs spread on the floor, and Katya's legs wrapped around Trixie's waist, still peppering her lips with soft kisses.

The two broke apart to catch their breath properly, resting their foreheads against eachother. Trixie's hands had dropped from Katya's neck to be wrapped around her middle, holding her flush against her own body. Katya began tracing small patterns at the base of Trixie's neck, her arms embracing her over the shoulders.

“I've wanted to do that since I came home,” Katya confessed, letting her eyes fall closed and humming in contentment.

Trixie responded by simply pressing another kiss to Katya's cheek, then the tip of her nose, and finally her lips again. “You're magical.”

Katya laughed lowly, pulling back to gaze into Trixie's eyes once more. The sunlight from the window had fallen onto her face just like it had that first morning they spent doing yoga together, and yet somehow she looked even more ethereal than before. She was grateful for the lack of interruption this time. “And you're a god damn fairy. I think we make a good pair.”

“Well, you're not wrong.”

* * *

The two girls spent the rest of the day as they had begun it: together, peaceful, infatuated. They had a movie marathon (with Katya insisting that they watch Contact. Trixie only agreed when she was promised that she could play Mean Girls afterwards). They made their favourite herbal teas, lit some candles, and laid on the sofa in bliss, Trixie on her back, Katya draped on top of her with her arm around the other girl's waist.

When they went to bed that night, they didn't move their beds back apart.

They only ever did once, months later, when they decided to replace them with a double bed of their own.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading, it means a lot - if you like you can follow me on tumblr @artificialpeachh !!


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